Trial run of Jammu ropeway to begin

Jammu: The much-awaited Jammu ropeway project, aimed at boosting tourism in the state's winter capital, will undergo trial runs from Tuesday, officials said. "The Jammu ropeway project is in full swing.

The splicing of the main rope of Section-I (Mahamaya to Peer Kho) has been completed by an international expert. The pre-commissioning trial run of Section I will start from December 18," Managing Director (MD), J&K Cable Car Corporation, Shamim Ahmad Wani said on Monday.

The MD further told him that the engineering wing has been asked to complete all pending works by December 31. The cable car project would provide people a high-quality tourism experience with transportation facility, sightseeing and entertainment, the MD said.

Secretary Tourism, Rigzin Samphel visited the construction site of the ropeway project at Peer Kho here on Monday and reviewed the progress of the ongoing work. He was briefed about the construction work in all the three stations and informed that landscaping work at Mahamaya and Peer Kho was underway.

The secretary said the project would go a long way in promoting tourism in Jammu region, giving a fillip to the local economy by creating jobs. The 1.66-km-long cable car project has two phases, first from Bahu Fort to Mahamaya Park and second from Mahamaya to Peer Kho over the Tawi river, with a total length of 1,118 metre, Wani said. "The project is of great importance and is going to be the biggest tourist attraction (in Jammu) in coming days," he added.

Planned in 1995, the project was to be operated from Bahu Fort to Mubarak Mandi Complex initially. It was modified and relocated later when Mubarak Mandi and Bahu Fort were declared as protected monuments. The Cable Car Corporation successfully conducted the trial run of the first phase of the project in April.